Thursday, February 02, 2006
That's my King. Do you know Him?
Yoinked from Andrew Gazaneo's blog is THIS tasty little bit of streaming audio. It's like old-school freestyling...
Horses are much stronger than me...
I'm staying at my friend, Shay's, house in London, England. Shay and her husband, Duncan, have a two-year-old named Jayda. I, therefore, have been enrolled in a crash-course in Life With A Toddler 101.
Jayda has a non-stop vocabulary (first born girls...we're speaking from day one), so I've taught her to say "evidently". She says it now. We're working on "superfluous". For the most part, she toddles around the house, engaging anyone and anything she finds in conversation. Mum, dad, me, a crayon, her Paddington bear doll. For a Canadian's ears, her developing British accent provides extra entertainment.
She has four books, in a series, which are each about a different farm animal: horse, cow, chicken and sheep. Disconcertingly enough, the chicken book states, and I quote:
Chickens are much smaller than me...
They say "cock-a-doodle-do!"
I can say that too, can you?
Which is erroneously leading the child to believe that chickens, and not roosters, say cock-a-doodle-do. And, as I have been recently researching, this would be a grave mistake to make in many fundamental evangelical denominations of the West. What would Paul have to say about chickens crowing, hm? The things they teach kids these days...They say "cock-a-doodle-do!"
I can say that too, can you?
I must now go and answer the pressing question, "What's doggie doing?"
Monday, January 30, 2006
'Til Kingdom Come
Two posts in the same day. This one was worth posting. Because my entire afternoon stopped when I heard the lyrics. If this isn't a worship song, I don't know what one is. Gazaneo, if you're reading this, let's start using this at Central.
Steal my heart and hold my tongue.
I feel my time, my time has come.
Let me in, unlock the door.
I've never felt this way before.
The wheels just keep on turning,
The drummer begins to drum,
I don't know which way I'm going,
I don't know which way I've come.
Hold my hand inside your hands,
I need someone who understands.
I need someone, someone who hears,
For you, I've waited all these years.
For you, I'd wait 'til kingdom come.
Until my day, my day is done.
And say you'll come, and set me free,
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me.
In your tears and in your blood,
In your fire and in your flood,
I hear you laugh, I heard you say,
"I wouldn't change a single thing."
The wheels just keep on turning,
The drummers begin to drum,
I don't know which way I'm going,
I don't know what I've become.
For you, I'd wait 'til kingdom come,
Until my days, my days are done.
Say you'll come and set me free,
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me.
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me.
I feel my time, my time has come.
Let me in, unlock the door.
I've never felt this way before.
The wheels just keep on turning,
The drummer begins to drum,
I don't know which way I'm going,
I don't know which way I've come.
Hold my hand inside your hands,
I need someone who understands.
I need someone, someone who hears,
For you, I've waited all these years.
For you, I'd wait 'til kingdom come.
Until my day, my day is done.
And say you'll come, and set me free,
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me.
In your tears and in your blood,
In your fire and in your flood,
I hear you laugh, I heard you say,
"I wouldn't change a single thing."
The wheels just keep on turning,
The drummers begin to drum,
I don't know which way I'm going,
I don't know what I've become.
For you, I'd wait 'til kingdom come,
Until my days, my days are done.
Say you'll come and set me free,
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me.
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me.
Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me.
- Coldplay
- Coldplay
Disturb us, Lord...
The latest nugget of wisdom comes from Sir Francis Drake, via Jeremy Sizemore, in the form of a prayer. It's been haunting me for three days now.
 | |
| Disturb us, Lord, when Disturb us, Lord, when Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, We ask You to push back | |
| attributed - Sir Francis Drake - 1577 |
Friday, January 27, 2006
Puppy dogs' tails and everything nice.
Is it just me, or is all this stuff that the Eldredges write about in Wild At Heart (for guys) and Captivating (for girls) totally transformational?
Now, I'm not one to jump on the latest Christian-book-bandwagon (The Prayer of Jabez, The Purpose-Driven Life, and Your Best Life Now being three that come to mind when I think of books that I'd rather not promote...at least, en masse), and I really rather prefer the writing style of Salinger to almost anything sold in a Christian bookstore...but these two books on the sexes seem to be irking, inspiring, reaching, and insulting me in a way that Salinger never has. I was in tears at one point, have been wincing often, smiling wryly when not, and even had the visceral desire to shut Captivating and whip it across the room at one point this afternoon. Why?
Why do these books get under my skin? Aren't they formulaic? Aren't they written in dumbed down narrative? Don't they have cliché, soft-focus covers? They just reiterate what we all know anyway, about guys and girls, don't they? Don't they?
Why is it only now, at the age of 25, that I know what I should and shouldn't be looking for in a romantic relationship? Why is it only now, after several "dramacides", that I understand how they have left me feeling barren? Why is it only now, after years of Christianity, that I feel the wooing pursuit of God's love for me?
I guess the questions are deeper than I even know myself. Or, as John and Staci Eldredge would say, the Questions. "Do I have what it takes?" asks the little boy. "Am I lovely?" asks the little girl. It's so simple. And makes too much sense.
Now, I'm not one to jump on the latest Christian-book-bandwagon (The Prayer of Jabez, The Purpose-Driven Life, and Your Best Life Now being three that come to mind when I think of books that I'd rather not promote...at least, en masse), and I really rather prefer the writing style of Salinger to almost anything sold in a Christian bookstore...but these two books on the sexes seem to be irking, inspiring, reaching, and insulting me in a way that Salinger never has. I was in tears at one point, have been wincing often, smiling wryly when not, and even had the visceral desire to shut Captivating and whip it across the room at one point this afternoon. Why?
Why do these books get under my skin? Aren't they formulaic? Aren't they written in dumbed down narrative? Don't they have cliché, soft-focus covers? They just reiterate what we all know anyway, about guys and girls, don't they? Don't they?
Why is it only now, at the age of 25, that I know what I should and shouldn't be looking for in a romantic relationship? Why is it only now, after several "dramacides", that I understand how they have left me feeling barren? Why is it only now, after years of Christianity, that I feel the wooing pursuit of God's love for me?
I guess the questions are deeper than I even know myself. Or, as John and Staci Eldredge would say, the Questions. "Do I have what it takes?" asks the little boy. "Am I lovely?" asks the little girl. It's so simple. And makes too much sense.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
For unto us...
Merry Christmas, all. I figured I'd do a cheap update here in Blogland, by cutting and pasting a recent email that I sent out to friends and family. I just couldn't be bothered to type it all out again, and change some of the wording. Enjoy. Or, if you've already read it in your inbox in its email form, stay tuned for further tales of travel and a God-driven life...
____________________________________________________________
It’s true. Although some (including myself) can’t believe it, a year has already passed since I left Toronto for Korea.
Skipping around Pyongchon, teaching the little kiddies (one of whom has written me since my departure to tell me: “I am sad now that you left my bosom ”), shopping at stores that specialize in petite sizes, traveling the country on weekends, and hanging out with some of the best people in the world is how I spent most of 2005. Korea was good to me in many ways,
including emotionally and spiritually, and it will be a time in my life that I will look fondly on in years to come.
After my contract was finished, and the good-bye parties had all run out, I boarded a plane from Korea to Tokyo, then had a stop-over in Tokyo for eight hours, was bumped from economy to business class from Tokyo to Honolulu (“Champagne or orange juice, miss?” “Champagne, of course…”), then flew to Maui where I spent six days with friends on the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) base in Paia. The weather was scrumptious and I was able to see a lot of the island, including a day of “surfing” (let’s just say, I’m better apt to wax poetic than wax a surfboard…) at Launiopoko Beach, a drive up Haleakala Mountain, and a motorbike tour of the East Maui Mountains on the way to Lahina. If you haven’t had a chance or excuse to go to Hawaii yet, make one. You won’t be disappointed.
From the 30 degree weather (that’s about 86 Fahrenheit for you others out there) in Hawaii, I flew out of Honolulu to Minneapolis, from Minneapolis to Detroit, and from Detroit to snow-covered Toronto. Once jetlag had subsided and my equilibrium had returned to normal I was able to venture out and meet up with friends that I had not seen in over a year. Much coffee was drunk. Many hours were consumed with chatter. Traipsing around downtown helped me to re-orient myself with the city that I love. Who knew that the Marché
changed its name? Why are there so many new condos along the Lakeshore? Does H&M look out of place on Bloor to anyone else? And where DID all this snow come from?
I was also able to visit the various places of ministry that I had worked with prior to Korea and was interested to see that both the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship (TACF) and The Meeting House have started locations in the downtown core. Tehillah is still up and running, as is Freedomize and there seems to be a heightened desire to direct attention to the city of
Toronto proper as opposed to the suburbs – where many ministries have benefited from tactical “beachheads”. This latest move towards the inner city has not been overlooked by the fledgling YWAM Toronto base, which is where I have recently begun as a staff member.
The YWAM base director, Anderson, and his wife, Cynthia, came over from Barbados with their two kids and started the base out of a hotel in Port Credit, Mississauga. When I went to meet with them last week they shared with me their vision to have me working downtown; amusingly, I foresee myself drawing on my knowledge and training in event coordinating (from the year spent with the Television Bureau of Canada before I went to Korea) in this new “downtown facilitator” role. Seems as if there has been precise purpose in many of the choices I have made along the road…some of which I have considered to be arbitrary until now. I heard it best said recently: “God is magic.”
Mid-January I will be leaving for Amsterdam with Anderson and someone from The Dam Youth Drop-In in Mississauga, to see how inner city projects are carried out on the YWAM base there. From Amsterdam I plan to travel through the U.K. to meet with various people and ministries – both YWAM affiliated and not – as part of a “self-inflicted internship”. My desire is to pick the brains of people who have been serving in missions for much longer than I have, to learn of the pitfalls, to gain perspective, to glean wisdom, and to humbly ask for prayer and advice. Starting from the south, I hope to hit:
• the Brighton base (where they specialize in 24/7 Prayer, pubs/clubs ministry, and outreaches to the homeless)
• Brighton & Hove, Christian Outreach Center (C.O.C.)
• Holmsted Manor base, Sussex (the YWAM base where I did my Discipleship
Training School in 2000)
• Higher Vibe ministries in London
• King’s Lodge base, Warwickshire
• York base, York
• Seamill base, Ayrshire
• Edinburgh, for a family friend’s 40th birthday (and also a visit to the base in Leith where I did a theater evangelism course in the summer of 2000, after my DTS)
I am expecting to be back in Toronto at the beginning of March and move into the hotel base community in Port Credit. I’ll be serving wherever they need me, gaining clarity about what needs to be done in Toronto, and enjoying some much needed bonding time with the other YWAM Toronto staff members. My memory of sleeping on the couch at the girl staff house in Paia, Maui and hanging out with them is still so fresh and comforting in my mind that I am
looking forward to my time in Port Credit with a particular fervor. If God opens doors that no man can open, I’ll be moving into the city core in the fall of 2006 along with other YWAM staff members who have a particular calling for the downtown area. Ongoing prayer concerning confirmation, revelation, and provision will no doubt occupy my/our time until then.
If you’re still reading, then I commend you for your tenacity. Extra bonus points will be given to anyone who can recite, my memory, the update in its entirety.
• To those who find themselves living in Great Britain: Send me an email and I’ll do my best to pay you a visit while I’m over.
• To those who find themselves (still) in Korea: I ROVE YOU GUYS. I miss you all excruciatingly and can’t wait until we’re in closer proximity to each other.
• To those in Maui: You have no idea how lucky living in paradise really is until you’re suddenly…ankle-deep in snow. I am very fond of your island and miss your relaxed way of life.
• To those in Toronto: Stay tuned for a local email regarding a new *gasp* cell phone number for yours truly. Yes, it must be a mark of the apocalypse. Until then, 416-698-8176 is my parents’ number where I will be until January 12th.
• To those in various other locations around the globe: If you have a few hours to kill (this took about one and a half), send me updates of your own because I’m always curious to hear what you’re up to.
And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because theSpirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
(Romans 8:27)
Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.
Love,
Sarah
____________________________________________________________
It’s true. Although some (including myself) can’t believe it, a year has already passed since I left Toronto for Korea.
Skipping around Pyongchon, teaching the little kiddies (one of whom has written me since my departure to tell me: “I am sad now that you left my bosom ”), shopping at stores that specialize in petite sizes, traveling the country on weekends, and hanging out with some of the best people in the world is how I spent most of 2005. Korea was good to me in many ways,
including emotionally and spiritually, and it will be a time in my life that I will look fondly on in years to come.
After my contract was finished, and the good-bye parties had all run out, I boarded a plane from Korea to Tokyo, then had a stop-over in Tokyo for eight hours, was bumped from economy to business class from Tokyo to Honolulu (“Champagne or orange juice, miss?” “Champagne, of course…”), then flew to Maui where I spent six days with friends on the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) base in Paia. The weather was scrumptious and I was able to see a lot of the island, including a day of “surfing” (let’s just say, I’m better apt to wax poetic than wax a surfboard…) at Launiopoko Beach, a drive up Haleakala Mountain, and a motorbike tour of the East Maui Mountains on the way to Lahina. If you haven’t had a chance or excuse to go to Hawaii yet, make one. You won’t be disappointed.
From the 30 degree weather (that’s about 86 Fahrenheit for you others out there) in Hawaii, I flew out of Honolulu to Minneapolis, from Minneapolis to Detroit, and from Detroit to snow-covered Toronto. Once jetlag had subsided and my equilibrium had returned to normal I was able to venture out and meet up with friends that I had not seen in over a year. Much coffee was drunk. Many hours were consumed with chatter. Traipsing around downtown helped me to re-orient myself with the city that I love. Who knew that the Marché
changed its name? Why are there so many new condos along the Lakeshore? Does H&M look out of place on Bloor to anyone else? And where DID all this snow come from?
I was also able to visit the various places of ministry that I had worked with prior to Korea and was interested to see that both the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship (TACF) and The Meeting House have started locations in the downtown core. Tehillah is still up and running, as is Freedomize and there seems to be a heightened desire to direct attention to the city of
Toronto proper as opposed to the suburbs – where many ministries have benefited from tactical “beachheads”. This latest move towards the inner city has not been overlooked by the fledgling YWAM Toronto base, which is where I have recently begun as a staff member.
The YWAM base director, Anderson, and his wife, Cynthia, came over from Barbados with their two kids and started the base out of a hotel in Port Credit, Mississauga. When I went to meet with them last week they shared with me their vision to have me working downtown; amusingly, I foresee myself drawing on my knowledge and training in event coordinating (from the year spent with the Television Bureau of Canada before I went to Korea) in this new “downtown facilitator” role. Seems as if there has been precise purpose in many of the choices I have made along the road…some of which I have considered to be arbitrary until now. I heard it best said recently: “God is magic.”
Mid-January I will be leaving for Amsterdam with Anderson and someone from The Dam Youth Drop-In in Mississauga, to see how inner city projects are carried out on the YWAM base there. From Amsterdam I plan to travel through the U.K. to meet with various people and ministries – both YWAM affiliated and not – as part of a “self-inflicted internship”. My desire is to pick the brains of people who have been serving in missions for much longer than I have, to learn of the pitfalls, to gain perspective, to glean wisdom, and to humbly ask for prayer and advice. Starting from the south, I hope to hit:
• the Brighton base (where they specialize in 24/7 Prayer, pubs/clubs ministry, and outreaches to the homeless)
• Brighton & Hove, Christian Outreach Center (C.O.C.)
• Holmsted Manor base, Sussex (the YWAM base where I did my Discipleship
Training School in 2000)
• Higher Vibe ministries in London
• King’s Lodge base, Warwickshire
• York base, York
• Seamill base, Ayrshire
• Edinburgh, for a family friend’s 40th birthday (and also a visit to the base in Leith where I did a theater evangelism course in the summer of 2000, after my DTS)
I am expecting to be back in Toronto at the beginning of March and move into the hotel base community in Port Credit. I’ll be serving wherever they need me, gaining clarity about what needs to be done in Toronto, and enjoying some much needed bonding time with the other YWAM Toronto staff members. My memory of sleeping on the couch at the girl staff house in Paia, Maui and hanging out with them is still so fresh and comforting in my mind that I am
looking forward to my time in Port Credit with a particular fervor. If God opens doors that no man can open, I’ll be moving into the city core in the fall of 2006 along with other YWAM staff members who have a particular calling for the downtown area. Ongoing prayer concerning confirmation, revelation, and provision will no doubt occupy my/our time until then.
If you’re still reading, then I commend you for your tenacity. Extra bonus points will be given to anyone who can recite, my memory, the update in its entirety.
• To those who find themselves living in Great Britain: Send me an email and I’ll do my best to pay you a visit while I’m over.
• To those who find themselves (still) in Korea: I ROVE YOU GUYS. I miss you all excruciatingly and can’t wait until we’re in closer proximity to each other.
• To those in Maui: You have no idea how lucky living in paradise really is until you’re suddenly…ankle-deep in snow. I am very fond of your island and miss your relaxed way of life.
• To those in Toronto: Stay tuned for a local email regarding a new *gasp* cell phone number for yours truly. Yes, it must be a mark of the apocalypse. Until then, 416-698-8176 is my parents’ number where I will be until January 12th.
• To those in various other locations around the globe: If you have a few hours to kill (this took about one and a half), send me updates of your own because I’m always curious to hear what you’re up to.
And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because theSpirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
(Romans 8:27)
Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.
Love,
Sarah
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